Chrome Web Store

[Diffa]

Does the current WebPlayer Engine support Chrome Web Store https://chrome.google.com/webstore or will there be a support for the Chrome Web Store?

[NiCoX]

Currently it is not supported, but it will

[Diffa]

great news!

[shoaz]

Currently Unity communicates with its integration in the Chrome Web Store, with offering to play 3D games without plugin installation. And it may suggest that Unity would have taken a market that Shiva would not.
But beyond the marketing, it is through the Native Client tool from Google that Unity will fit without plugin. And nothing suggests that Shiva can not also take advantage of this tool. Can you confirm this?
And what is your position / ambition with this market?

[NiCoX]

Hi,

We have a working NaCl implementation. But as far as I know, NaCl is currently in a "research stage", and not included in the official version of Google Chrome.

http://code.google.com/p/nativeclient-sdk/

Now, I may be wrong, but I made some researches last day and I did not found any new NaCl SDK than the one we used some months ago to make the engine port.

Do you have some examples of Unity games (or any other engine games) running without a plug-in in the latest official Google Chrome?

[shoaz]

So, we're agree with that : no 3D game on Chrome without plugin at this time.
And good news, Shiva is NaCl ready.

But the point is here : the communication campaign around the Chrome Web Store by Unity is very agressive. And I hope not too efficient...

Last question : what's the plan of the integration of Shiva on the Chrome Web Store? First without NaCl, then with?

[dreamora]

unity hasn't released their NaCl target either yet (the enum is present but thats it, no build target etc at the time)

and yeah NaCl isn't even there yet, you still need the dev build + command line flag to even enable it (my poor chrome is nearly dieing due to webgl + nacl + timing measuring flags haha)


As for the Unity webstore campaign: must have missed that I guess, didn't know they had any.
they had a short presentation at Google IO to present their tech yeah, but not more than that so far at least not without you signing an NDA.
Also with NaCl release undefined, the player is even more undefined.

At the time Unity can be happy if they don't get burnt by the trouble they cause Mac App Store users cause thats a more important imminent target and the fact that you can't hook anything in unity before the app is fully around makes it more than just slightly mac store unfriendly



As for no 3d game without plugin: Incorrect. Copperlight will do it thanks to the fact that Chrome webstore = chrome only = webgl support present

[shoaz]

When I speak about an aggressive communication campaign, it's not in size term, but in bluffing term. They haven't 3D game through NaCL to show, because there isn't NaCl by default in Chrome at this time (like there isn't webGL by default... ).
But, when Google presents a Unity game (Lego Star wars) as a 3D game exemple in Chrome Web Store, and when you don't know the NaCl technology and its implications, you can easily think Unity is the Google choice for 3D games...
Once the situation is covered, it's not at all credible, but in the meantime, rumor is possible.
There will be time to discuss it again when NaCl will be released.

But you interest me with the Mac App Store story, I missed that!

[NiCoX]

But you interest me with the Mac App Store story, I missed that!

Just for info I had a confirmation yesterday that at least one ShiVa game has already been accepted on the Mac App Store, which confirms the ShiVa engine is compliant
(the only thing to do is to create a "Project", remove the PPC target in order to make a X86 only build, and add fill the Info.plist with the required info. But we'll provide a dedicated target in future UAT releases )